Operation Crossroads, which runs until midnight tonight, has uncovered a 43 per cent increase in speeding ­infringements compared with last Easter.Source: Mercury

THE behaviour of a learner driver caught hooning in a 24-tonne tip truck with a blood ­alcohol reading of 0.071 at ­Huonville has been described as ludicrous by police.

Officers who intercepted the driver on Saturday said they were alarmed by the recklessness of the incident.

“The size of the vehicle is of concern because it could do considerable damage,” said ­Inspector Shane LeFevre.

Operation Crossroads — the Easter road safety campaign that runs until midnight tonight — has uncovered a 43 per cent increase in speeding ­infringements compared with last Easter — 454 this year, up from 318.

“Speed was a focus of the operation, with both the Police Commissioner and the Minister making the point about the dangers of speeding and that it won’t be tolerated,’’ Insp Le­Fevre said. “Considerable resources have been dedicated to catching speeding motorists to date.”

Police are also focusing on drink-driving and driving after using illicit drugs.

So far, 44 drink-driving ­offences have been detected from 8403 tests conducted.

On Saturday, a 39-year-old provisional licence-holder was intercepted at New Norfolk with a blood alcohol reading of 0.200.

“We have reduced the number of high-visibility random breath tests to have a more targeted approach,’’ Insp LeFevre said.

“With 55 per cent less RBTs [random breath test units]and only 17 per cent down on offenders caught, it shows the targeted approach is working and we are capturing some people we wouldn’t normally apprehend.”

There have been 12 positive drug tests returned from the 137 conducted.

The Easter Holiday Road Toll reporting period started on Thursday. Tasmania has suffered one fatality so far, which happened in the first 11 hours of the toll period.

“After a tragic start with a fatality in the North-West and the weather on Friday proving trying conditions for the motoring public, touch wood we have had nothing major since that,” Insp Le Fevre said.

Two people were flown to hospital in Launceston following a single-vehicle accident near Beaumaris on the East Coast on Saturday.

The driver, a man in his 30s, suffered spinal injuries and his younger male passenger suffered chest injuries when their car left the Tasman Highway and slammed into a tree.

The men were trapped in the vehicle and attended to by ambulance officers before being freed with the assistance of Tasmania Fire and State Emergency Service personnel.

Four vehicles have been clamped or confiscated so far this Easter — primarily for evading police, but possibly also for hooning, excessive speeding or driving while disqualified.